As part of the educational program “Ostrov 10–22,” together with colleagues we acted as curators of the ASI track, focused on transforming open spaces of university campuses. During a three-day intensive workshop, together with participants representing universities from across the country, we worked in a test format with the environment of the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology. In the seven courtyards of the university building, various objects were created to support comfortable outdoor use for students. During the process, we identified a key issue of this minimalist building: all courtyards are very similar to one another. In such a uniform environment, it is difficult to navigate, and the sterile forms create a lifeless internal landscape.

To draw attention to the building’s interior courtyards, we placed a spatial marker in the central courtyard — the one visible from the main corridor that connects almost all parts of the building. The object acts as an unexpected visual attractor for students moving quickly between classes.

The concept is based on the unicorn — a widely recognized symbol of IT companies that achieve rapid growth in valuation. This pink emblem of future startup founders, expressed in a minimalist form appropriate to the context, is intended to remind them of their ambitions, aspirations, and self-belief.